Streamlining
"To streamline the process?" That’s one way of putting it. Another perspective could be that Symantec likes the channel to find new business but isn’t so keen on giving it a recurring piece of the action. There’s a fine line between streamlining and profiteering.
“From an SMB perspective we continue to invest in automation that will drive efficiency in how we go after our SMB customer segment and ensure that renewals are happening,” concluded Blake. “We will continue to rely on partners while at the same time look for opportunities to ensure that we are being more efficient.”
On one hand, Symantec appears to be saying that there’s nothing to see here. It has always provided the direct option and continues to do so. If, however, it has made a strategic decision to be more proactive in bringing that top 900 in-house then that is a significant change and one the channel has the right to know about.
The litmus test will come from resellers. If they start reporting major accounts suddenly deciding to go direct to Symantec, then we’ll know something’s up and Symantec might find its channel becoming a lot more streamlined than it planned. If any readers have encountered a change in the nature og the Symantec channel we would like to hear from them.
